Alpha Protocol - Review, Database @ GameBanshee

We're overdue rounding up another batch of Alpha Protocol reviews but our friends at GameBanshee have posted a piece written by Brother None, as well as getting their database online, so we'll post about it. Brother None lambasts the bugs and weak gameplay elements but ultimately concludes this "was one of the more satisfying RPG experiences I've had in years". This isn't the most informative quote but I was fascinated to see little details that went over my head:

I don't know each of these places as well as the next, never having been to Taipei or Saudi Arabia, but their interpretation of Rome looked accurate, while their interpretation of Moscow – to me – showed a great attention to detail needed to make the game world breathe. This starts at getting the look of the city right, but where it shines is when they start doing “fanservice” of sorts for Russians and those who know Russia somewhat, from the appearance of Nikolai Valuev in the form of Championchick, to little jokes like the name of Lazlo's yacht: originally named победа, meaning victory, the п and о fell off so it now reads беда, meaning trouble or misfortune.

More information.

Excellant review by Brother None; I'd give it 9.5/10. Best review I've read in years.

Still on the fence with this one. I hate buggy games, and fidgety console ported controls…

Just a small correction - beda doesn't mean trouble, it can mean misfortune… But a most literal translation would be "misery" as in the opposite of "richness". It has the same meaning as "poor".

Originally Posted by Malk
Just a small correction - beda doesn't mean trouble, it can mean misfortune…

*shrugs* Misfortune and trouble are synonymous in many contexts, so that's not a really a correction.

Granted I translate from Russian to Dutch to English when using my dictionary, but amongst the many definitions of беда it lists misery, distress, misfortune, disaster and suffering. "Trouble" (for distress and disaster) and "misfortune" (for the rest) were the catch-all phrases I picked, and I'll stick with what I got. Thank you.

Though somehow I had the feeling someone would jump up to correct me. There's always someone who does.

Originally Posted by Thrasher
Excellant review by Brother None; I'd give it 9.5/10. Best review I've read in years.

Yay!

I thought trouble was usually connected with danger (someone is in trouble, in danger), and misfortune is just bad luck, it doesn't have anything to do with danger. But I'll trust you on this one.

On the other hand, beda most certainly doesn't translate as disaster, distress, suffering or trouble. It can be either misery or poorness (and their synonyms), tho it's sometimes used to diminish something or someone (i.e. Alpha Protocol is a poor game). You're welcome.